1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to fans such as those used in electronic devices, and more particularly to a fan with a metallic hub and a plastic impeller and a method for manufacturing such fan.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the ongoing development of the electronics industry, electronic components (such as central processing units) operate at higher speeds and higher frequencies than previously. The heat generated by such electronic components during operation is correspondingly increased. If the heat generated by an electronic component is not efficiently dissipated, the electronic component and even the host electronic device may malfunction or suffer damage. Therefore, the heat must be timely removed to keep the temperature of the electronic device within a safe range. Fans have been used in numerous electronic devices for providing forced airflow to dissipate the heat.
Generally, a fan comprises a hub and an impeller. A plurality of blades surrounds the impeller. The hub and the impeller can be made of a single piece of a desired kind of material. For example, the hub and the impeller can be made of metal, and formed by a punching method. However, the punching process is unable to achieve blades with complex shapes. The hub and the impeller can also be made of plastic, with the impeller being formed by an injection molding method. However, using plastic can not achieve blades with high strength. Alternatively, the hub and the impeller can be made of two different kinds of material individually, and then the hub and the impeller are assembled together with glue or fasteners. However, the process of assembly is complex, and the impeller can not achieve high strength at joints of the hub and the impeller.
What is needed, therefore, is a fan which can overcome the above-described shortcomings.